Obscurity was formed by Agalaz (guitar), Arganar (drums), Nezrac (vocals), Dornaz (guitar) and Ziu (bass) in 1997. The five founding members had already known each other for years before deciding to make their own contribution to metal.
They picked the name Obscurity because in their formative years their musical style could not be clearly assigned to a specific metal genre. Since "obscurity" means 'darkness' as well as 'lack of clarity', it is an apt description of their comprehensive musical scope. This is even emphasised by the Viking metal influences which they developed at a very early stage. Bands playing this kind of metal often choose names originating from Nordic mythology, so the band name is unusual, but it is representative.[1]
Obscurity identifies strongly with the Bergisches Land[2] and use the Bergisch Lion, the heraldic emblem of the counts and subsequent dukes of Berg who ruled there in the Middle Ages, as a 'trademark' which features on almost all their releases.
In 2003, founding member Dornaz left Obscurity. He is still a 'stand-by' member of the band and also shared the stage with them on their 10-year anniversary. After Dornaz’ departure experienced guitarist and longtime friend Cortez took up his position. Through his joining of the band they gained more heft and enlarged their musical spectrum.
The same year, the band signed a distribution contract with Twilight for their album Thurisaz.[3]
In 2006, the band signed a new record and distribution deal with Massacre Records for the follow-up album Schlachten & Legenden.
In 2007 Obscurity celebrated their 10-year anniversary. The album Schlachten & Legenden was released in April and distributed by Massacre Records/Soulfood.[4]
In 2008 shouter Nezrac left the band. The same year the group signed a new record contract with the music label SMP/Trollzorn.
The album Várar hit stores in March 2009, being distributed by SMP Records/Soulfood.[5][6][7] It was originally planned as a theme album celebrating the 2,000-year anniversary of the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest.[2][7] The same year, Dornaz returned to the band.[3]
Obscurity have explicitly distanced themselves from any politically extremist views in the metal scene,[8][9] saying that those involved in metal should combat Nazism and right-wing extremism in general.[10] They vehemently express this position in their booklets,[11] through interview statements, in announcements during live gigs and even in one of their songs.
Lyrics and musical style
Lyrics
Obscurity’s lyrical themes range from the martial and warlike to themes derived from Nordic mythology and also include pure fiction. In their early days they also used lyrics that were typically black metal. Political themes, however, have never been of any significance for the band and, therefore, never taken up. Their lyrics are mostly in German.
Musical style
During their first years Obscurity mainly played death/black metal with some Viking metal influences. Since 1998, Viking metal aspects have been exerting a more and more dominating influence on the band which is primarily displayed in their lyrics as well as in some musical elements.
Their musical direction today is a mix of melodic death metal and black metal enriched with strong Viking metal influences and also possessing some thrash metal features.
Obscurity confines themselves to playing traditional metal instruments (drums, guitars, bass). Other instruments which are frequently used in pagan metal, like keyboards, violins and flutes and medieval gear are intentionally not employed.
Their music is very fast, heavy, and spiked with hymn-like melodies. The band’s sound is sometimes very cold and brutal, yet harmonic and an emphasis is placed on production. It is deeply rooted in the 'underground' but still very catchy.
From 1997 to 2008, all recordings of demos and albums, layouts, etc. were solely self-financed and self-produced by Obscurity. The band refuse to let their responsibility and freedom of artistic expression be taken away by contracts of any kind. Both of their distribution and record contracts were only agreed to after completion of the albums. It was only for their four official records that they got an experienced producer/co-producer on board – Bony (shouter of Japanische Kampfhörspiele), a longtime friend and companion of the band.[3]
Gallery
Band members at the Dark Troll Festival 2018
Singer Agalaz
Guitarist Dornaz
Guitarist Cortez
Bass guitarist Ziu
Drummer Draugr
Members
Current
Agalaz – guitars (1997–2009), lead vocals (2008–present)
Dornaz – guitars (1997–2004, 2009–present)
Askar – guitars (2018–present)
Ziu – bass (1997–present)
Zorn – drums (2018–present)
Former
Nezrac – lead vocals (1997–2008)
Arganar – drums (1997–2016)
Cortez – guitars (2004–2018)
Draugr – drums (2016–2018)
Timeline
Discography
Bergisch Land (2000)
Thurisaz (2003)
Schlachten & Legenden (2007)
Várar (2009)
Tenkterra (2010)
Obscurity (2012)
Vintar (2014)
Streitmacht (2017)
Skogarmaors (2021)
References
^In a 2007 interview, Agalaz, Ziu and Arganar clarified that although they are interested in and influenced by Nordic mythology and have an anti-Christian philosophy, and the central theme of their music is the warrior life, they are not personally pagans. Neues von den Bergischen Löwen, Metal Storm, 10 April 2007 (in German)
^ abOBSCURITY :: Metalverrückte "Bergische Löwen", interview with Ziu, Amboss, 25 April 2009 (in German)
^Interview at heavyhardes.de, 20 April 2007 (in German)
^Colleen Burton, Review at Chronicles of Chaos, 11 April 2009
^Neithan, Interview, Lords of Metal Issue 90, March 2009
^ abcInterview with Ziu at heavyhardes.de, 17 March 2009 (in German)
^For example Ziu in the Metal Storm interview: Zu OBSCURITY kann ich Agalaz nur beipflichten und ebenfalls sagen, daß, nur weil wir deutsche Texte haben, kriegerische Musik machen und sehr verbunden mit unserem BERGISCHEN LAND sind, wir nicht zum rechten Lager gehören und auch in keiner Weise mit derlei Gedankengut sympathisieren - "Regarding OBSCURITY I can only second Agalaz and also say that just because we have German lyrics, make warrior music and are very connected to our Bergisches Land, we don't belong to the right-wing camp and also don't sympathise in any way with that sort of thinking.".
^Ziu in the Amboss interview, concerning their identification with the Bergisches Land: Das Ganze hat dabei nicht im Geringsten etwas mit rechtsextremen Gedankengut zu tun. Sowas findet man überall ohne so eine braune Scheisse. - "The whole thing doesn't have the slightest thing to do with extreme right-wing thinking, by the way. You find this kind of thing everywhere without that sort of brown[-shirt] shit".
^For example Ziu in the 2007 interview at heavyhardes.de: Die Unterwanderung unseres geliebten Metals durch solche fehlgeleiteten Elemente ist für uns nur nicht hinnehmbar und jeder (Fans, Veranstalter, Medien, Bands etc.) sollte sich dieser Bedrohung entgegestellen und in angemessener Weise auf gegebene Situationen mit solchem Hintergrund reagieren. "The way such misguided elements drag down the metal we love is unacceptable to us and everybody (fans, event organisers, the media, bands etc.) should oppose this threat and react to that background in an appropriate way in given situations.".
^For example in the Lords of Metal interview, where they state they are "against any form of extreme political ideology" and say the Pagan Viking metal bands "have to take firm stand against such invaders ["Nazi punks"] and have to fight them because we prefer to lie ourselves" but the booklet had insufficient space for the interviewer's suggested wording, "We play metal because we love it and have no political message or interest whatsoever; to all who think there is a political message in our music nevertheless we would like to say 'get a life'".
Interview with Agalaz at Fiesta Pagana 2010 (in German)
March 08, 2023
obscurity, band, obscurity, german, extreme, metal, band, with, strong, viking, metal, influences, hailing, from, velbert, city, bergisches, land, north, rhine, westphalia, they, early, german, death, black, viking, pagan, metal, bands, obscurityobscurity, roc. Obscurity is a German extreme metal band with strong Viking metal influences hailing from Velbert a city in the Bergisches Land in North Rhine Westphalia They are one of the early German death black Viking and pagan metal bands ObscurityObscurity at Rockharz Open Air 2018Background informationOriginVelbert GermanyGenresMelodic death metalblack metalViking metalmelodic black deathYears active1997 presentLabelsMassacre SMPMembersAgalazDornazZiuAskarZornPast membersNezracCortezArganarDraugrWebsitewww obscurity online de Contents 1 History 2 Lyrics and musical style 2 1 Lyrics 2 2 Musical style 3 Gallery 4 Members 4 1 Current 4 2 Former 4 3 Timeline 5 Discography 6 References 7 External linksHistory Edit Singer Agalaz from Obscurity live at Ruhmeshalle Wuppertal 2016 Obscurity was formed by Agalaz guitar Arganar drums Nezrac vocals Dornaz guitar and Ziu bass in 1997 The five founding members had already known each other for years before deciding to make their own contribution to metal They picked the name Obscurity because in their formative years their musical style could not be clearly assigned to a specific metal genre Since obscurity means darkness as well as lack of clarity it is an apt description of their comprehensive musical scope This is even emphasised by the Viking metal influences which they developed at a very early stage Bands playing this kind of metal often choose names originating from Nordic mythology so the band name is unusual but it is representative 1 Obscurity identifies strongly with the Bergisches Land 2 and use the Bergisch Lion the heraldic emblem of the counts and subsequent dukes of Berg who ruled there in the Middle Ages as a trademark which features on almost all their releases In 2003 founding member Dornaz left Obscurity He is still a stand by member of the band and also shared the stage with them on their 10 year anniversary After Dornaz departure experienced guitarist and longtime friend Cortez took up his position Through his joining of the band they gained more heft and enlarged their musical spectrum The same year the band signed a distribution contract with Twilight for their album Thurisaz 3 In 2006 the band signed a new record and distribution deal with Massacre Records for the follow up album Schlachten amp Legenden In 2007 Obscurity celebrated their 10 year anniversary The album Schlachten amp Legenden was released in April and distributed by Massacre Records Soulfood 4 In 2008 shouter Nezrac left the band The same year the group signed a new record contract with the music label SMP Trollzorn The album Varar hit stores in March 2009 being distributed by SMP Records Soulfood 5 6 7 It was originally planned as a theme album celebrating the 2 000 year anniversary of the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest 2 7 The same year Dornaz returned to the band 3 Obscurity have explicitly distanced themselves from any politically extremist views in the metal scene 8 9 saying that those involved in metal should combat Nazism and right wing extremism in general 10 They vehemently express this position in their booklets 11 through interview statements in announcements during live gigs and even in one of their songs Lyrics and musical style EditLyrics Edit Obscurity s lyrical themes range from the martial and warlike to themes derived from Nordic mythology and also include pure fiction In their early days they also used lyrics that were typically black metal Political themes however have never been of any significance for the band and therefore never taken up Their lyrics are mostly in German Musical style Edit During their first years Obscurity mainly played death black metal with some Viking metal influences Since 1998 Viking metal aspects have been exerting a more and more dominating influence on the band which is primarily displayed in their lyrics as well as in some musical elements Their musical direction today is a mix of melodic death metal and black metal enriched with strong Viking metal influences and also possessing some thrash metal features Obscurity confines themselves to playing traditional metal instruments drums guitars bass Other instruments which are frequently used in pagan metal like keyboards violins and flutes and medieval gear are intentionally not employed Their music is very fast heavy and spiked with hymn like melodies The band s sound is sometimes very cold and brutal yet harmonic and an emphasis is placed on production It is deeply rooted in the underground but still very catchy Obscurity are often compared with bands like Amon Amarth 7 Naglfar Dissection and Unleashed With regard to some of the Obscurity s musical elements also Bathory or Immortal are mentioned as references From 1997 to 2008 all recordings of demos and albums layouts etc were solely self financed and self produced by Obscurity The band refuse to let their responsibility and freedom of artistic expression be taken away by contracts of any kind Both of their distribution and record contracts were only agreed to after completion of the albums It was only for their four official records that they got an experienced producer co producer on board Bony shouter of Japanische Kampfhorspiele a longtime friend and companion of the band 3 Gallery EditBand members at the Dark Troll Festival 2018 Singer Agalaz Guitarist Dornaz Guitarist Cortez Bass guitarist Ziu Drummer DraugrMembers EditCurrent Edit Agalaz guitars 1997 2009 lead vocals 2008 present Dornaz guitars 1997 2004 2009 present Askar guitars 2018 present Ziu bass 1997 present Zorn drums 2018 present Former Edit Nezrac lead vocals 1997 2008 Arganar drums 1997 2016 Cortez guitars 2004 2018 Draugr drums 2016 2018 Timeline EditDiscography EditBergisch Land 2000 Thurisaz 2003 Schlachten amp Legenden 2007 Varar 2009 Tenkterra 2010 Obscurity 2012 Vintar 2014 Streitmacht 2017 Skogarmaors 2021 References Edit In a 2007 interview Agalaz Ziu and Arganar clarified that although they are interested in and influenced by Nordic mythology and have an anti Christian philosophy and the central theme of their music is the warrior life they are not personally pagans Neues von den Bergischen Lowen Metal Storm 10 April 2007 in German a b OBSCURITY Metalverruckte Bergische Lowen interview with Ziu Amboss 25 April 2009 in German a b c Obscurity Sputnik Music Interview at heavyhardes de 20 April 2007 in German Colleen Burton Review at Chronicles of Chaos 11 April 2009 Neithan Interview Lords of Metal Issue 90 March 2009 a b c Interview with Ziu at heavyhardes de 17 March 2009 in German For example Ziu in the Metal Storm interview Zu OBSCURITY kann ich Agalaz nur beipflichten und ebenfalls sagen dass nur weil wir deutsche Texte haben kriegerische Musik machen und sehr verbunden mit unserem BERGISCHEN LAND sind wir nicht zum rechten Lager gehoren und auch in keiner Weise mit derlei Gedankengut sympathisieren Regarding OBSCURITY I can only second Agalaz and also say that just because we have German lyrics make warrior music and are very connected to our Bergisches Land we don t belong to the right wing camp and also don t sympathise in any way with that sort of thinking Ziu in the Amboss interview concerning their identification with the Bergisches Land Das Ganze hat dabei nicht im Geringsten etwas mit rechtsextremen Gedankengut zu tun Sowas findet man uberall ohne so eine braune Scheisse The whole thing doesn t have the slightest thing to do with extreme right wing thinking by the way You find this kind of thing everywhere without that sort of brown shirt shit For example Ziu in the 2007 interview at heavyhardes de Die Unterwanderung unseres geliebten Metals durch solche fehlgeleiteten Elemente ist fur uns nur nicht hinnehmbar und jeder Fans Veranstalter Medien Bands etc sollte sich dieser Bedrohung entgegestellen und in angemessener Weise auf gegebene Situationen mit solchem Hintergrund reagieren The way such misguided elements drag down the metal we love is unacceptable to us and everybody fans event organisers the media bands etc should oppose this threat and react to that background in an appropriate way in given situations For example in the Lords of Metal interview where they state they are against any form of extreme political ideology and say the Pagan Viking metal bands have to take firm stand against such invaders Nazi punks and have to fight them because we prefer to lie ourselves but the booklet had insufficient space for the interviewer s suggested wording We play metal because we love it and have no political message or interest whatsoever to all who think there is a political message in our music nevertheless we would like to say get a life External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Obscurity official homepage Obscurity discography at Discogs Obscurity Ger Discography at Metal Kingdom Obscurity Deu at Encyclopaedia Metallum Interview with Agalaz at Fiesta Pagana 2010 in German Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Obscurity band amp oldid 1115404267, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
